Optional modules are available this year, but may be subject to change in subsequent years.
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HIST604 Piracy and Privateering, c 1560 - 1816
This module explores piracy and privateering activity in the seas around the British Isles and further afield from the reign of Queen Elizabeth to the end of the second Barbary War in 1816. This course focuses on the social history of piracy and privateering, the organisation of pirate society, and the economic impact of piracy and privateering.
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HIST605 African-American Experience 1890-1954
Examining the experience of African Americans from Emancipation at the end of the Civil War to the beginning of the Civil Rights movement at the end of WWII.
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HIST606 The Civil Rights Movement
Examining the African American struggle for civil rights in the 1950s and 1960s.
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HIST607 Japanese History: from Tokugawa Japan to Hirohito
This module is an introduction to the major themes of political, social and economic development in Japan in the nineteenth and twentieth century.
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HIST609 The French Wars of Religion 1558 - 1598
The module will examine the causes, progress and termination of the French Wars of Religion after 1558. The main topics will be the relationships between Catholic and Protestant, the impact of war on royal authority, the experiences of confessional groups, towns, nobles and peasants, and the resolution of conflict under Henri IV.
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HIST610 The Irish Revolution 1912-37
This module examines the political, social and cultural history of Ireland during the period 1890-1937 with particular focus on causes and effects of partition and the nature what is known as the `Irish revolution¿.
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HIST612 Empire of Law. Ruling the British Empire 1760-1960
The module introduces the methodology of using law as a window to political and social history. It will deal with legal governance in the British Empire, examining how laws were created, applied, resisted and recast; how law related to powerful ideas and how legal disputes can be used as windows to social changes. The empirical content will focus on the British empire in south and south-east Asia, with frequent comparisons made with Africa and Australia.
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HIST616 America, the United Nations and International Relations 1945 to the present
This module provides a detailed examination of the relationship between the United States of America and the United Nations in the management of international relations from 1945 to the present.
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HIST619 From Unification to Reunification: Key Themes in Modern German History
This module is an introduction to the major themes of political, social and economic development in Germany, especially in the nineteenth and twentieth century. Themes include nineteenth century revolution and unification, Imperialism and WW1, from the Weimar Republic to Dictatorship, WW2, the FRG and the GDR; and revolution and reunification
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HIST620 Elizabeth I: The Failure of a Dynasty?
This module will allow students to explore how Elizabeth I and her regime dealt with the major religious, dynastic, social and international conflicts and challenges of her reign. Students will explore the limits of the Elizabethan regime¿s success, engaging directly with contemporary views, while also considering the subsequent history and mythology of the last Tudor monarch.
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HIST621 Inter-War Britain 1919-40
The module examines Britain in the period 1919-40 with an emphasis on Government and politics. The social, economic and foreign challenges facing Britain are examined for their ability to impact on policy and politics.
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HIST622 Key Aspects of Maritime History
This module will allow students to focus on a key aspect of maritime history between 1450 and 2000. Using primary sources and recent historiography students will have the opportunity to undertake an in-depth study of a crucial element of modern maritime history such as logistical, naval, cultural, political, technological changes and social history in the last 600 years.
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HIST623 Victorian Sites
This introduces students to important themes - social, cultural, political, intellectual - in the nineteenth century through built environments including `iconic¿ sites like the Palace of Westminster, Royal Courts of Justice, St Pancras railway station, Crystal Palace; and others, including nonconformist chapels, civic halls, penitentiaries, piers and domestic architecture such as terraced housing or planned `social¿ housing. The production, `aesthetic intentions¿ and the social consumption of the sites, are examined.
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PIR304 US Foreign Policy Since 1945
This module introduces students to different approaches to studying US foreign policy. As well as providing an empirical survey of America's foreign relations since 1945, it draws on IR theory to examine its changing place in the world. Students will examine historical and contemporary themes in US foreign policy and explore the complex mix of factors that combine to influence it. The module will examine US interests in different parts of the world and evaluate how US foreign policy has affected regional and international orders. The ultimate objective of the course is to explore how US foreign policy shapes the world we live in.
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PIR305 The Politics of the United States
This module introduces students to the fundamental principles of politics in the United States. Domestic politics and the foreign influence of the United States is considered, with specific emphasis placed on the role of the Constitution and institutions of governance in promoting (or inhibiting) democracy both domestically and abroad.
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PIR306 Environmental Political Economy
This module examines the problem of environmental degradation and its implications for our global political economy. It discusses the major debates in political thought around the causes of environmental degradation. The module outlines the major attempts to build international regimes for global environmental governance, and the difficulties and obstacles that such attempts have encountered. A wide range of ideas, policy proposals, innovations in governance, and templates for political activism within the environmental movement are critically evaluated.
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PIR307 Europe in the World
The European Union is the world's major trading block and its most integrated region. This module takes a holistic look at the EU's role in the world and the link between its economic and political presence. Accordingly it concentrates on the impact of the EU on the world (including the developing world) but also considers the internal dynamics of Europe.
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PIR311 Global Governance and the United Nations
This module will explore the transformation of political community in the 21st century through the prism of international organisations such as the United Nations. The aim is to consider the key question whether `governance¿ is possible in world politics, and whether and to what extent international organisations can play a constructive role in such governance. The module offers an overview of international organisations and global governance, including various theoretical approaches with their different assumptions about the nature of international politics, and competing predictions about international organisations in global governance.
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PIR312 The Politics and International Relations of the Middle East
"The module introduces students to international relations in the Middle East. It equips them with the analytical skills to examine the Arab-Israeli conflict, Gulf conflicts, and the impact of the Arab Spring on regional politics.
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